4 Country Tour - Europe 2005
Last fall my wife and I went to Europe. This was my first trip abroad and my wife’s second. Dianne had been after me for years to vacation in Europe, but I always had a reason to travel in the States instead. I love the roads here, and besides I had heard that those countries were filled with foreigners!
Alas, I gave in to the wishes of my better half. But a vacation NOT on two wheels, riding in a tour bus with a bunch of blue hairs - that would never do! That’s when I came across an advertisement in Road Runner Magazine about a 10 day, 4 country tour.
The tour’s focus was traveling the Alps on BMW’s through Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. It named towns that were on the tour, but short of Munich, not only had I not heard of any of them but I couldn’t pronounce the names! Oh well, it was Europe, the wife would be happy, it was on two wheels and the price was pretty good, so off we went to see the land of our forefathers.
The first thing I had to adjust to was not personally planning all of the details of our trip in advance. Every year prior to our vacation I ponder over maps for the best and most scenic routes, research the internet for points of interest and then download all of this information into my GPS. That wouldn’t be the case this year! I purchased a map of Europe but couldn’t find many of the towns or routes listed on our itinerary, nor could I tell exactly where one country ended and other began. They just don’t make maps of Europe like the ones in the States!
The next adjustment - “jet lag.” These foreigners don’t even keep the same time that we do! Yeah, they keep the minutes the same, but they change the hours, big time! There is a five hour difference between Florida and our destination, Munich Germany. We were told not to go to bed when we arrived to help adjust to the local time. Ever try flying for eighteen hours then staying up for another eight? Not easy.
We spent our first two days exploring the sights of Munich on two wheels, two wheels as in bicycles. This is a great/inexpensive way to see the town without renting an automobile. The bicycle rentals also included an English speaking tour guide that took us to places we would never have found on our own and gave a great insight on many of the historical places.
Our third day took us back to the Munich airport where we met up with our tour group. There were five other couples and two single guys, plus our two tour guides. Immediately the group hit it off. The conversations were buzzing with anticipation of what the next ten days would bring.
Leaving the airport via a charter bus, our group headed south to the town of Bad Tolz at the base of the Alps. There we picked up our bikes. I selected the 1200GS, while Dianne took the smaller F650GS. Both bikes where fitted with the Pannier hard bags, plus my 1200 had a top box.
Bright and early the next morning we were on our way. The group rode well together through the twisty hills of Germany and into Austria. The first day’s ride was not challenging, but it gave each of us a chance to get used to our new rides, and I’m certain it gave the tour guides some idea of everyone’s riding skills. Near the end of the day we did get a hint of what European roads were like on our way to our hotel in the ski village of Serfaus, Austria. The road to the hotel consisted of numerous tight switchbacks rising several thousand feet up the side of the mountain. The reward was a fabulous view and a quaint Alpine village.
That night at the bar we learned from our hostess that our hotel was what Europeans refer to as a ”Mojo.” Mojo’s are typically ski lodges that cater to traveling motorcyclist during the off season.
The days that followed took us through areas that the vistas were beyond description. We traveled through snow capped mountains, beautiful little villages and past meandering streams. The mountain passes were by far the most spectacular and above all the most challenging.
I consider my wife and I to be experienced, competent riders. However, the passes we crossed tested all of our riding skills. If you think riding Deals Gap will prepare you for European mountain roads, you’ll be wrong! Most switchbacks consisted of tight hairpins often with on-coming traffic having about a 30-foot radius, being compounded by the fact that you were traversing a grade of 16-18 percent, up or down depending on the direction of travel. Did I mention the oncoming traffic?
Oh, did I mention guardrails? There were usually no guardrails, only a small row of stones along the edge of pavement. All of the riders in our group were skilled riders. In spite of that we had five bikes dropped during the trip. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but there were several bruised bodies. Regardless of the hazards, if you ever have the opportunity to ride the Timmelsjoch or Spluegen Pass, do it!.
One of our trip highlights was meeting the locals (those foreigners I mentioned earlier). Surprisingly, most people were fluent in English or at worst spoke at least a bit of our language. The people were warm and friendly, not once did we encounter any Anti-American sentiment. Even when I attempted to use my two years of high school German, they were patient and understanding….but didn’t have a clue, I’m sure, as to what I was saying!
If you are planning a trip to Europe, especially the Alps as we did, regardless of your skill level, prepare to be challenged. However, the rewards will far outweigh the risks. It will be an experience of a lifetime, it was for us.
Alas, I gave in to the wishes of my better half. But a vacation NOT on two wheels, riding in a tour bus with a bunch of blue hairs - that would never do! That’s when I came across an advertisement in Road Runner Magazine about a 10 day, 4 country tour.
The tour’s focus was traveling the Alps on BMW’s through Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. It named towns that were on the tour, but short of Munich, not only had I not heard of any of them but I couldn’t pronounce the names! Oh well, it was Europe, the wife would be happy, it was on two wheels and the price was pretty good, so off we went to see the land of our forefathers.
The first thing I had to adjust to was not personally planning all of the details of our trip in advance. Every year prior to our vacation I ponder over maps for the best and most scenic routes, research the internet for points of interest and then download all of this information into my GPS. That wouldn’t be the case this year! I purchased a map of Europe but couldn’t find many of the towns or routes listed on our itinerary, nor could I tell exactly where one country ended and other began. They just don’t make maps of Europe like the ones in the States!
The next adjustment - “jet lag.” These foreigners don’t even keep the same time that we do! Yeah, they keep the minutes the same, but they change the hours, big time! There is a five hour difference between Florida and our destination, Munich Germany. We were told not to go to bed when we arrived to help adjust to the local time. Ever try flying for eighteen hours then staying up for another eight? Not easy.
We spent our first two days exploring the sights of Munich on two wheels, two wheels as in bicycles. This is a great/inexpensive way to see the town without renting an automobile. The bicycle rentals also included an English speaking tour guide that took us to places we would never have found on our own and gave a great insight on many of the historical places.
Our third day took us back to the Munich airport where we met up with our tour group. There were five other couples and two single guys, plus our two tour guides. Immediately the group hit it off. The conversations were buzzing with anticipation of what the next ten days would bring.
Leaving the airport via a charter bus, our group headed south to the town of Bad Tolz at the base of the Alps. There we picked up our bikes. I selected the 1200GS, while Dianne took the smaller F650GS. Both bikes where fitted with the Pannier hard bags, plus my 1200 had a top box.
Bright and early the next morning we were on our way. The group rode well together through the twisty hills of Germany and into Austria. The first day’s ride was not challenging, but it gave each of us a chance to get used to our new rides, and I’m certain it gave the tour guides some idea of everyone’s riding skills. Near the end of the day we did get a hint of what European roads were like on our way to our hotel in the ski village of Serfaus, Austria. The road to the hotel consisted of numerous tight switchbacks rising several thousand feet up the side of the mountain. The reward was a fabulous view and a quaint Alpine village.
That night at the bar we learned from our hostess that our hotel was what Europeans refer to as a ”Mojo.” Mojo’s are typically ski lodges that cater to traveling motorcyclist during the off season.
The days that followed took us through areas that the vistas were beyond description. We traveled through snow capped mountains, beautiful little villages and past meandering streams. The mountain passes were by far the most spectacular and above all the most challenging.
I consider my wife and I to be experienced, competent riders. However, the passes we crossed tested all of our riding skills. If you think riding Deals Gap will prepare you for European mountain roads, you’ll be wrong! Most switchbacks consisted of tight hairpins often with on-coming traffic having about a 30-foot radius, being compounded by the fact that you were traversing a grade of 16-18 percent, up or down depending on the direction of travel. Did I mention the oncoming traffic?
Oh, did I mention guardrails? There were usually no guardrails, only a small row of stones along the edge of pavement. All of the riders in our group were skilled riders. In spite of that we had five bikes dropped during the trip. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but there were several bruised bodies. Regardless of the hazards, if you ever have the opportunity to ride the Timmelsjoch or Spluegen Pass, do it!.One of our trip highlights was meeting the locals (those foreigners I mentioned earlier). Surprisingly, most people were fluent in English or at worst spoke at least a bit of our language. The people were warm and friendly, not once did we encounter any Anti-American sentiment. Even when I attempted to use my two years of high school German, they were patient and understanding….but didn’t have a clue, I’m sure, as to what I was saying!
If you are planning a trip to Europe, especially the Alps as we did, regardless of your skill level, prepare to be challenged. However, the rewards will far outweigh the risks. It will be an experience of a lifetime, it was for us.
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